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You are here -> Music / Features Thursday, 04 December, 2008
PLANETNOTION TELEVISION!
CAMERA-FOLK AND FILM EDITORS WANTED!
Planet Notion is looking for guys and dolls to film and edit features for its new TV channel, PNTV. Accompanying Notion to artist interviews, gigs, fashion shows, festivals and international events, you will be skilled, passionate and full of ideas about how to produce shit-hot video content. Camera-folk will be experienced and ideally have their own equipment, or at least access to equipment, while editors must be able to turn projects around quickly, and with stylistic flare. If you can both film and edit content, we would especially like to hear from you! These casual, unpaid positions would be ideal for those looking to develop their showreels, and to get the chance to travel, film major artists and top events.
 
Please email lucy(at)musichqmedia
(dot)com if you’re interested in getting involved, cheers!
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Bassline High: Red Bull Music Academy 2008
31/10/2008
 Bassline High: Red Bull Music Academy 2008
tags: | red bull | red bull news | red bull latest | red bull music academy | more...

PN's guide to: MTV Liverpool Music Week 2008!
PN's guide to: MTV Liverpool Music Week 2008!
29/10/2008
I figured with it being MTV Liverpool Music Week from October 30th to November 6th, I’d bring you a day to day guide of which act you should probably see before any other. Thursday 30th October: O god, here comes the brainwork. The Fall or Vampire Weekend? Balls. I’ll opt for Vampire Weekend, simply because The Fall seem to tour over here quite often and Vampire Weekend are from across the pond. But then The Fall has that lyric: “ I'm telling you now / and I'm telling you this /Life can be a downward chip.” It’s true; try working at Planet Notion. Pick of the Night: The Fall at Nation. Tickets: Available on the door (video below) Other Highlights: Vampire Weekend atCarling Academy. Tickets: Sold out, but CLICK HERE to win tickets to see Vampire Weekend (thanks to Planet Notion) Friday 31st October: Halloween. That means a barrage of eggs at windows, kids letting off fireworks, that kind of crap. It’s hard to muster up any enthusiasm for the day. But the show must go on, and the highlight on the 31st has to be Damien Dempsey. Damien sings about the brutal realities of life, of the shit-steaming humdrum of it all instead of seeing a girl in Safeway and your eyes meeting in the cold meat section. Pick of the Night: Damien Dempsey at The Picket. Tickets: CLICK HERE ! (video below) Other Highlights: Bestival Reunion Tour at Nation. Tickets: Available on the door. Best fancy dress wins 2 tickets to Bestival 2009. To read an interview about the Bestival Reunion Tour, with the big daddy of Bestival Rob da Bank, CLICK HERE ! Saturday 1st November: I saw the cocknbullkid on Jools Holland, one of the only shining stars in a week of crap television and never-ending lethargy. At first I wasn’t so sure about the cocknbullkid. Bit pretentious to start your name without a capital letter, plus she was dressed like a god damn Christmas bauble. But I was kind of mesmerised by the performance, which is pretty rare when it comes to electronic pop. Pick of the Night: cocknbullkid at Bumper. Tickets: Free Entry (video below) Other Highlights: Solas at The Picket. Tickets: CLICK HERE ! Sunday 2nd November: It’s 2008, and when I tell people that I don’t like hip-hop, I sometimes get strange looks. People look at me as if to say “GOD DAMN, ITS 2008 NOT 1964. WHAT ARE YOU, SOME KIND OF FREAK?” So I never really had a love for Dizzee Rascal; until I heard his last song. I think it was his last song. Actually, love is a bit of a strong word. Let’s just say it was a good song. Pick of the Night: Dizzee Rascal at Liverpool University. Tickets: Sold Out (video below) Other Highlights: Heads of State atThe Caledonian. Tickets: Free Entry! Monday 3rd November: Man, I’ve never been a fan of dance music unless my mind's truly beyond repair. Then again, I wouldn’t really class Bastardcunt as dance music; I reckon it'd probably fall into the category of noise. I had a strange dream once after a particularly long weekend where I actually thought a fox was eating my elbow; I woke-up sweating and holding my elbow because it seemed so fucking real! This is the kind of music that you’d listen to in an equally bad condition. Pick of the Night: Bastardcunt at Titos (MEME). Tickets: Free! Other Highlights: Wiley at Alma de Cuba. Tickets: Free (video below) Tuesday 4th November: I didn’t know who to pick, so I went for Ogo. Maybe because his name intrigued me, it’s the same spelt backwards as it is forwards. But I checked him out on MySpace and kind of liked what I was hearing. Sometimes you think you’re hearing Seal, and then you’ll hear this kind of folk guitar. It’s nice music to listen to when you’re trying to pick up a hot bit of arse. Pick of the Night: Ogo at Hannah’s Bar. Tickets: Free! Other Highlights: Johnny Foreigner at Bumper. Tickets: Free (video below) Wednesday 5th November: So we’re getting towards the end now. Don’t know a lot about Cushfoot, but I know they’re a jazz band and there’s nothing quite like ordering a whole bottle of bourbon, smoking a fat cigar and listening to some jazz. Ah, perfection. Except of course they brought the god damn smoking ban in so you can’t smoke the cigars anymore. Bang goes that dream. Pick of the Night: Cushfoot at Hannah’s Bar. Tickets: Free! Other Highlights: Sway at Alma da Cuba. Tickets: Free (video below) Thursday 6th November: Hell, it’s a long day ahead and already I’m feeling tired. But as soon as I saw Sonny J was going to be at Liverpool Music Week, I figured I’d go onto his MySpace. I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of hope. I suddenly thought that things aren’t so bad after all. That the crowded trains, the money and the routine of it all, that they’re a lot less worse than losing the ability to ejaculate. Thanks Sonny. Pick of the Night: Sonny J at Bumper. Tickets: Free (video below) Other Highlights: Cold Ones at Korova. Tickets: Free! For full line-ups, tickets and further information about MTV Liverpool Music Week, visit liverpoolmusicweek.com
tags: | liverpool music week bastardcunt | wiley news | wiley latest | wiley tickets | more...
PN's Guide to: BBC Electric Proms 2008!
PN's Guide to: BBC Electric Proms 2008!
15/10/2008
Planet Notion rarely looks forward to next week. Next week represents misery and squalor; long hours and microwave meals; money worries and lethargy and everything else and nothing else. Woe. Nothing but woe. But even Planet Notion, the eternally down-beat, has broken into a smile; albeit, a semi-smile. Why? Because the BBC Electric Proms returns next week. Taking place from Wednesday 22nd – Sunday 26th October, across venues in London and Liverpool, a total of 60 acts will perform. Seeing as Planet Notion is excited about at least 70% of the line-up, we figured we’d bring you a top 5 list of the best events taking place on each night. Wednesday 22nd: A lot happening on this night. It was a toss-up between Burt Bacharach (w/BBC Concert Orchestra) and Tony Christie. Planet Notion opted for Burt Bacharach because his version of ‘I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You’ gives us a warm sensation, deep in our gut. Unless that was the Chilli Con Carne washed down with Raki we had last night. A pianist and composer, the hit singles that Bacharach wrote make for some impressive reading. Dusty Springfield sang The Look of Love , Bacharach wrote it. Aretha Franklin sang Walk on By , Bacharach wrote it. B.J. Thomas sang the Academy Award Winning Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (see video), Bacharach wrote it. Course, everyone forgets that Bacharach wrote most his stuff with Hal David, but hey-ho… Must See: Burt Bacharach with the BBC Concert Orchestra: London Roundhouse (Main Space) Tickets: £5.00. Other highlights: Homecoming kid Tony Christie on the Liverpool Royal Daffodil Ferry. Tickets: BY INVITE ONLY. Thursday 23rd: What, with Planet Notion picking Burt on the Wednesday, we figured we’d go for something a bit different on the Thursday. Yeah. Figured we’d go for Keane. The reason we’ve picked Keane is because they’ve got balls bigger than Cantaloupes and the lead singer looks like an extra from a Peter Jackson movie. You’re probably wondering why we think that Keane have balls. “Where’s the evidence?” I hear you cry. Take their new album: Perfect Symmetry. The band decided to change the whole manic depressive soft-rock theme of previous albums in place of some happy-clappy, 80s style synth-pop. David Bowie’s a fan of Keane’s new found kahunas and frankly, so are we. Must See: Keane at London Koko. Tickets: SOLD OUT Other highlights: Milanese; Rolo Tomassi; 2 Hot 2 Sweat. Liverpool BBC Merseyside – Peel Night. Tickets: BY INVITE ONLY Friday 24th: Interesting one this. Producer, musician and composer Nitin Sawhney, produced an album called London Undersound. It’s one of those political type ones, looking at the effect of the Iraq War and the 7/7 bombings on cultural relations in London. Nitin gathered together a load of renowned artists to represent a different voice from London on each track. These included Paul McCartney, Natty , Reena Bhardwaj , Rox , Natacha Atlas and Anoushka Santar. One of the most poignant messages that come across is that London’s a pretty non-judgmental place as a whole, and that the majority of people have accepted the diversity of cultures in the capital… Nitin Sawhney will be joined by the London Undersound Orchestra and a selection of the album’s collaborators on the night. Should be fascinating. Must See: Nitin Sawhney (plus guests) with the London Undersound Orchestra at London Roundhouse. Tickets: STILL AVAILABLE Other highlights: The Last Shadow Puppets; Stephen Fretwell at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Tickets: £5.00 Saturday 25th: Best night of the bunch. Well, so say we. But the highlight of the night has to be the 30th Anniversary of Saturday Night Fever, baby. A film that made 65% of the world horrifically vain, and did more for the cosmetic and beauty industry than Kate Moss and co ever will. It also had a mighty fine musical score, including the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive ; so who better to perform on the night than Robin Gibb? Joining the Bee Gees member will be Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately. Hell, Sharleen Spiteri, Gabriella Cilmi and even Bryn Christopher will be there to perform! And, um, Sam Sparro will be there too. The event will be musically directed by Oscar-Winning composer, arranger and producer Anne Dudley. Must See: Saturday Night Fever at London Roundhouse (Main Room). Tickets: STILL AVAILABLE Other highlights: Justice - Film and DJ Set at London KOKO. Tickets: FREE Sunday 26th: Planet Notion confesses to being a horrific liar. Tie us up, shove a Granny Smith in our mouth and feed us to the Guinea Fowl. For Sunday contains the most exciting event of any night. This is major - almost as big as the 1969 moon landing… but not quite. It’s Oasis performing at the London Roundhouse with support from Glasvegas. Hell, screw Glas Vegas - its OASIS PERFORMING AT THE LONDON ROUNDHOUSE! Cue much jumping about by Gallagher fanatics and a very busy phone-line. Oasis recently achieved their 7th number one album with Dig Out Your Soul and sold-out their promotional album tour in minutes. I heard some guy down the pub (who gets a kick out of showing everyone his Oasis leg tattoo) saying he had to get his ticket on the black-market. True story. Anyways, Oasis will be performing songs from the new album, including new single The Shock of the Lightning. Must See: Oasis with support from Glasvegas at London Roundhouse (Main Space). Tickets: £5.00 Other highlights: Pete and the Pirates; General Fiasco; Pull in Emergency; Chew Lips. BBC Introducing at Proud Galleries London. Tickets: STILL AVAILABLE For further information on the BBC Electric Proms, including events and artists not included in this feature, artist blogs, and information on registering for tickets, CLICK HERE .
tags: | electric proms milanese | 2008 electric proms milanese | nitin sawhney | more...
Deerhunter Interview!
Deerhunter Interview!
24/09/2008
Thanks to a strapping young lad who works in the office, I’d been introduced to the music of Atlanta garage-rock band, Deerhunter a few months back. Handy, I'm sure you'll agree. Alas, captivated by the sound of new album Microcastle, which leaps delicately between ambient rock and the heavier sound of previous Deerhunter incarnations, I jumped at the chance to share a few words with (occasionally cross-dressing) frontman Bradford Cox. Hell, I’d interviewed close friends The Black Lips and Jay Reatard in the past and figured I may as well make it a God darn hat-trick. That said, the interview was to take place at the infamous Columbia Hotel, the very same Columbia Hotel in which I’d shared a few beverages with one Anton Newcombe. Ah, the memories. The Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman had threatened to hit me in a state of intoxication and I’d stood up to the challenge, fighting him off with a barrage of equally intoxicated abuse. Twas like something from The Bad, The Bad and The Fucking Ugly . Things did not bode well at this familiar haunt… Nevertheless, Bradford Cox proved to be a gentleman and a scholar; a charming man; an interesting man; a man of many words and many pauses… Here he discusses everything from solo project Atlas Sounds to Roxy Music, the death of rock n’ roll and how the Beatles wanted to be American cowboys. We kick-off the interview with Bradford munching on one of Prêt-a-Manger’s finest. If memory serves, it was a BLT. Words: Dangerous Dave / Photography: Barry Klipp Bradford : Do you mind if I keep eating while I talk to you? Dangerous: No, not at all… by all means… All right… Was it always your intention to perform from a young age? (Munching sandwich. Long pause) …Sorry… (More munching) …I bit off more than I can chew… (Hard swallow)… I guess I find it kind of, um, hard to avoid performing; I always have. It just comes naturally you know? I mean like even when I was at school I was always grand-standing and stuff like that, you know? It’s almost like a reaction against, um… a fear of boredom maybe? Yeah. I mean I interviewed the Black Lips and they’re obviously from Atlanta as well, and they said that the music was almost a form of escapism for them because there wasn’t a lot to do there. Would you agree with that? Oh, absolutely. I think that’s absolutely true. In what sense? Well, especially with us and the Black Lips. It’s like we both… we both had really confusing, shitty pasts. I mean like Cole (Alexander), who’s one of my best friends - the singer, one of the singers, well they all sing - but Cole and I, you know, we were very close when both our bands were kind of getting exposure or whatever; before we got too busy to talk to each other. But he was, you know, washing dishes in a diner and I worked at a photo lab; I thought that was what I was gonna be doing for the rest of my life. And I think he thought - honestly, in the back of his mind - in his head, he was afraid that he was gonna wash dishes for the rest of his life too, because nobody expected that anybody would pay any attention to us or care; you never expect that. I mean I guess some people expect it but… My intention is - relating to your first question, is that yeah, I’ve always felt like entertaining was very natural for me and it’s also something I thought would never get me anywhere; it was just something to make a boring life a little more fun. Let’s move onto the new album now (Microcastle) . It seems to have gone in a different direction to Cryptograms (Deehunter’s second album) in a lot of ways. Was it always your intention to develop your sound? You know, was it a conscious decision? Ahh, well I think there’s always an intention to move forward and not be to, um… repetitive! And I don’t mean that in actual musical terms, because I mean repetition is something we’re kind of obsessed with – musically, not in terms of repeating the same ideas. I mean in a song; repeating the same motives; you know, repeating the same chords and making stupid… you know what I mean? Sure… It goes without saying… I mean in terms of repeating greater themes of an album, I just find that to be kinda boring and bands that do that tend to be kinda very mediocre. I’d rather make an album that’s kinda awful but at least a challenge, you know? It was a challenge, I mean it was actually an easy challenge to change the style [on Microcastle] because I don’t have a very good attention span… Plus I mean… it was easy. It was just very natural. Sure, because with Cryptograms you seemed to be pouring your heart out; it seemed to have more, sort of.. Catharsis? Exactly! And the thing with Microcastle… ...well Cryptograms, you have to keep in mind, was made before anyone at all was ever paying any attention to us. I mean I’d hate to imply that… that I made Microcastle with any type of consideration for what anyone would think of it, because that’s not what I’m saying; but I didn’t… I guess what I mean to say, more than that, is that with Cryptograms I had no idea people were actually going to listen to it, so it was easier for me to just get like… naked, you know? Whereas with Microcastle… (Long pause)… I just sort of wanted to have a bit more dignity! (Chuckles) So was it [Microcastle] more a labour of love than Cryptograms in a sense? More… Wellll … I think Cryptograms was maybe more of a labour of love, and this is more a labour of, um… it’s more considered; more thoughtful. Cryptograms is really, I’d go as far as to say, a little embarrassing! I think there are a lot of people who’d disagree. Well I mean like embarrassing in terms of like, everybody seems to consider - and with the Atlas Sound record too, like a lot of people seem to really read into the emotional side of it. And what about Atlas Sounds… Do you think that working on that project helped to develop Deerhunter for the Microcastle record? I think that it kind of clarified what Deerhunter’s goals were in a way; because with Cryptograms - I’m very much interested in electronic music and ambient music and stuff like that, but I’m also like very much interested in just rock music. I’m kind of a traditionalist and I’m very conservative in a lot of ways about rock music. I like bands that experiment well, but I don’t like bands who just set-out to be experimental rock bands, do you know what I mean? I think Roxy Music are a band like that. They didn’t set-out to be, it was more that they were a rock band who had weird albums. You know what I’m saying? And I think now, with a lot of bands, because they have that past and [all] that music history to look at, it’s easier for them to say “We’re going to be an experimental band or an experimental rock band”; and I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d rather Deerhunter just be a rock band that has weird, interesting albums, but is a rock band… Atlas Sounds is just way more like, bizarre! I can definitely see that… You know like part of what I wanted to do with Atlas Sounds was kind of like… it was a Laurie Anderson kinda thing. I mean she made amazing pop records but they were just so fucking weird and so totally bizarre. And so doing that record [Atlas Sounds] made Microcastle a lot more easy to concentrate on… That’s why it’s kinda more straight and not so filler - full of concepts and ideas; more direct. But what about the concept of rock music; I mean traditional rock music; blues rock like The Doors and the Stones… Do you think that kind of rock music has died a death now? That what we’re seeing now are just manifestations of that kind of rock? Well… I think of rock music as a kind of tapestry that was at a peak and all around the time of the bands you mentioned. Like Dylan and one of my favourites is, you know, Van Morrison and Them - they did Gloria! And then going onto punk and you know, Patti Smith - Elvis before that, you know what I mean? The whole tapestry of rock was at its peak then and they were literally the prototypes, you know? The experimental research prototypes in a way. And then it became very easy to figure out what made those things successful and to emulate that; and then you had the 80s and there was a lot of mediocrity - a lot of Hughie Lewis and the News. But there was also a lot of 4AD you know? Like Cocteau Twins and… which I think in a way has a lot more to do with Elvis than Hughie Lewis and the fucking News ! (Chuckles) You know what I mean? Because it’s more in the spirit of like, I mean it sounds very cheesy, but it’s like, just being yourself and… (Fails to finish sentence) Do you think that kind of development in rock music is a positive thing? Well I dunno why I just said that whole thing that I just said because I think there are a lot of bands recently that have been evoking, you know, that original spirit of rock… Black Lips - and bigger bands too! The Strokes; White Stripes... You know, these bands are very successful and very - and that’s the other thing! Rock n’ roll wasn’t intended to be kept under the closet; to be kept under the ground, you know? Rock n’ roll is boisterous and it’s an American sort of capitalism. You know even the British groups, like the Stones and The Beatles, modelled or emulated the American big-dick-like swagger, because it was like “Hey yeah, we’re huge, we’re the biggest thing in the world.” You know that’s kind of an American, um… I mean like look at our president, he’s kinda rock n’ roll - in an awful way! But you know that’s the kinda mode, it’s the model, that whole swagger and the capitalism of it, which I think is very healthy. I mean I’d rather see someone act that way than artificially timid and like, you know - I hate false modesty! I love hip-hop, like Lil’ Wayne. These type of characters are just very like “I’m the best, I have so much money, fuck you!” They’re extroverts… Yeah! Kind of extroverted and that kinda bragger… that braggered (sic) kinda attitude - which to me, is really like more honest… more honest, even if it’s a lie! With Microcastle I kind of got the impression from the opening four or five tracks, that you’re kind of looking back, reminiscing about the past and looking at the present… Can you type that lyrically? Well… in the opening tracks, they seem to open with you exploring the past, looking back at your past and… Really? Yeah, I kind of got that impression, but… Well that’s good I mean, um, definitely I would think that that would be a good or a very valid interpretation… I dunno… …the past, but also looking at the present and how you’ve developed from then. Would that be a fair analogy? Well to be completely honest with you, I don’t think about the lyrics too much - and I don’t mean that in, you know, like a cheeky way, I mean that in a kind of… If I do think about them too much they just get kinda awful and brainy and too like trying to be clever and stuff. So I usually just throw the words to the music that fit the best and usually find that that’s the most honest way of doing it. And then usually I can say the most honest things. So if that’s what you get from it, I mean I haven’t really taken the time - honestly, to really analyse my own lyrics, because if I do that too much I get really self conscious and I’m like “Ugh!” You know like on Cryptograms, somebody pointed out to me - it’s been pointed out to me, that I’m totally self-conscious. They pointed out that I talk about being a teenager a lot, specifically I use 16 - age 16 a lot in lyrics; and I was like, “I do ?” And like when I looked back and saw that I did it, I was like, “OH! This is terrible, I’ll never use that again”… So I mean I very well could be kinda looking back on the past from the present; that could be a very good interpretation. But I haven’t… I honestly - when I start playing the songs on guitar like tonight at the show or something, I never forget the lyrics. I remember them. But like if you asked me right now what the lyrics to such and such were, I’d be like… I couldn’t think of them off the top of my head without hearing the guitar first, because the lyrics are very much written to the guitar first… like to the music. Right, so you’ll write the music first and then develop the lyrics from the music… Um, usually what I’m doing - sometimes I’ll do them all at once, but what I’m doing is I’m playing guitar and doing the singing onto a tape recorder, very much at the same time… Consciously, you know? Sure, but themes … I mean to write the music do you think of an idea or a theme and try to interpret that idea into your music? Occasionally I do, but those are like more… those are rarer moments where I try to experiment with something consciously, you know… Usually I feel less comfortable doing it like that. I feel more comfortable doing it all at once, not thinking - which I know might sound lazy to some people, cos’ there are other people that just sit there and labour over the construction of their work, with their words and their notepads and stuff; I’m just not like that… But then with Deerhunter, I think mood is probably more important to create than… Yeah mood is much more important to me than the delivery or… well, the exact words and stuff. Sure. And what kind of mood were you trying to get across in Microcastle, because it’s kind of split into sections really… It is sectional. It’s sectional… maybe a little hard to explain. I actually haven’t thought of that in a while. Honestly, I think it has something to do with, um… (Very long pause)… like… 50s and 60s America… (Another long pause) Were they major influences on you, those periods? Just for right now, yeah. Not like typically, but yeah. I mean I’m interested in that currently - or I was, especially during the making of [Microcastle] … Like JFK and Martin Luther King; Coca Cola… I think I keep this kind of cartoonish - I have this kinda cartoonish self-image of America that I really obsess over or enjoy. Maybe touring so much around Cryptograms made me a lot more happy about America or you know, home-sick? I tried thinking about, you know, American rock n’ roll; American sensibilities; American neighbourhoods… It’s a lot less emotional too, although the lyrics don’t seem less emotional but they’re like… I have a feeling there’s just far more traditional rock there, you know? Like “Oh baby, yeah, yeah, yeah,” you know, “I love you… oh yeah, oh yeah,” you know? Stuff like that is like less heavily considered. What about the track ‘Saved by Old Times’ with Cole Alexander [Of the Black Lips] . How did that come about? Well Cole just, um… we got him on iChat - the video chatting or whatever in the studio. And we plugged my computer into the mixing desk and I said ‘Hey Cole, go for it! Just like, freestyle over the song!’ Anyway, we kind of played it for him over the computer speakers and he just like freestyled. And then he did it twice, in the left channel and in the right channel. The left channel’s him doing some weird minstrel song about being a black alien or something; about being an old black man in space and time… And then the right channel, some of that was stuff that I’d written… Originally, when I wrote the demo for that song, it was very much a complete and total rip-off of The Fall. You know how Mark E. Smith would have these moments in his songs where he would just talk, like on Mere Pseud Mag. Editor, you know? On Hex Enduction Hour there’s that part where he just starts talking or he’d just start, not even talking, just ‘la-da-da-la-la’ and… So I was just like, if I got a speech part in the song during the breakdown I wanted to have - plus that was a big thing in the 60s too! You know like the girl groups and even earlier than that, the 50s with the black vocal groups where the singing would stop and someone would be like ’Baaaby, you know how much you mean to me.’ I wanted to do it in a kind of perverted, satanic way too. That’s how that came about. I mean me and Cole are basically the same creative spirit. I just think that he’s a little bit more like, anal and… what’s the word? Extrovert! More like anally retentive and more like sub-conscious. Cole’s just more like, rubbing his poop on the wall! Do you think Microcastle is quite a big journey from beginning to end? Do you see it as a journey from one place to another… I can see how you can see it like that and I don’t think you’re wrong. I think… but I don’t view it that way so much because... How do you view it? Well I mean, it’s boring… I don’t even want to talk about how I view it because it’s more like I view it how it was made; in pieces. And I don‘t want people to think of it that way. It’s like when you think of a movie you want people to think of it as a narrative from beginning to end, you don’t want to think about the fact that it was shot out of sequence, you know what I mean? Some of it was shot in 2004 and some of it was shot in 2006 and you know, it was edited together and there were computer graphics and… do you know what I‘m saying? It’s become more spontaneous? Yeah. I mean I want it to feel like a journey; I want it to build narrative… What about the development of your sound. Will you be developing your albums further; exploring new ideas? Oh, well I think every album will be a different experiment, you know? This album is experimental in the fact that it was so conventional, you know? The next album I think will be more, um, based on individual songs; it’ll be a lot less connected… I mean, you know like how Cryptograms flowed like one song - the songs never really stopped, they were always kind of melting into each other and stuff. And then Microcastle has that a little bit but also it’s more like, there are more individual songs. It’s more solid. The next one I think is going to go further in that direction of like - I think I want every song to be recorded in a different place, by a different person with a different instrument… I have a concept for the next album that I want to try, that’s based on like… I want the next album to be more like a documentary in terms of I want every song to be like a tribute to a certain era of rock music in the 20th Century or something. Like if you went to a used cassette store and got the cassettes out and started listening to one song from each one, you know what I mean? Just totally different atmospheres for each song. I mean like I don’t want it to blend together at all, I want it to be maybe like 12 or 13 or 14 individual songs from different albums and that sort of… And so that’s like my ideas and, um… but that’s very early and I’ve only written like a few pieces of songs. I haven’t even written a full… (Fails to finish sentence) Have you got any collaborations in mind for the album, because I know you worked with Jay Reatard on… I’m always thinking about that, you know? Like it would be cool to… And people contact me and they’re like ‘Hey, why don’t you come do this,’ you know? Like buddies and friends and… I’m into that, you know? I’m into that a lot because it’s just so funny to transpose different personalities. I especially like working with The Black Lips. They’re a fun bunch. Yeah. We just get along really well and have like, really a lot in common in terms of taste and… attitude I guess. It doesn’t look that way maybe; maybe we look more cerebral or artsy or something and they look more like traditional or masculine or something but… I mean I really rate them a lot. Fantastic. Well I know you’ve got a lot to do, so I’m going to rap this one up in a second… But are there any future plans you’ve got that are worth talking about? Um, I mean other than working on the next record and, um, touring and stuff... And what does Microcastle mean to you? (Long pause)… To me it’s just like, a very 50s, 60s like… I think it’s a tribute to like sentimentalist’s rock n’ roll, you know? Excellent… Cheers. Thanks Bradford. Great to meet you. It’s been a pleasure… Microcastle is released on 4AD/Kranky Records, October 28th. To visit the band’s MySpace page CLICK HERE .
tags: | deerhunter | deerhunter news | deerhunter latest | deerhunter interview | more...
Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip!
Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip!
09/09/2008
Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip shoot the s**t. Extracted from Notion Magazine 34. Dan le Sac: The death of the music industry: People keep talking about the death of the music industry as if it were a bad thing, as record companies struggle to find the next big thing and spend all their cash on ways of protecting their investments, people will continue to find ways of getting their musical fix for free. The thing is live music will continue to grow, and in a sense music will move into a time of natural selection, only the best will survive. Its not about selling records anymore, its about getting bums on seat. Soup: Soup is truly fantastical, especially when it involves croutons. Any meal you can put into a thermos is alright by me. What I've never understood though is why aren't "smoothies" called soup? Or atleast fruit soup? Its just cold soup like gazpacho. Forgetting Names: Over the last year i have forgotten more names than i have remembered, I would like very much to walk away from a conversation and be able to answer simple questions like "who was that?" without saying "you know, he's in that band...the ones with the bagpipes and all the percussion." The only solution i can suggest is that everyone should speak in the third person, so when i walk in to a shop it would sound like this "hello, dan le sac would like pie and chips twice please" then "indeed, Johnny chipshop would like £4.95 in return please." Quim: I’ve never understood why the word quim isn't in greater linguistic circulation? Its cousin Cunt gets a decent amount of usage but why not quim? Its simple enough to use, means much the same thing as cunt but it also has the added bonus of being quite a bouncy lyrical word. Words of advice for young people: I dont like giving advice, although i do it alot. Generally when i give advice i just fudge things Trisha and Jeremy Kyle have said to me together, and then say them politely. SO my advice to you is dont listen to my words of advice. Scroobius Pip: Beards: The key to a good beard is persistance. That and Aussie non frizz conditioner. A Lot of people start a beard then bottle it as soon as they get to the "random hair shooting everywhere" phaze. This is a temporary phaze. Fight through and the rewards will be fruitful. U.S. Politics: Im not really qualified to give an ACTUAL guide to this but i have been thinking about it alot recently. In the UK and America governments have been trying to get young people to vote for years by getting celebrities to do cheesey adds urging young'uns to "rock the vote". Its interesting that what it has ACTUALLY taken to get kids interested in the political game has been someone to get behind. Barack Obama seems to have been able to ignite something that not even the mighty Justin Timberlake could. New Music: It amuses me that when something new comes along all the record labels start a frenzy to find the "new" version of it. The reason someone like Lily Allen made such an impact was because she was fresh and new so the "new" Lily Allen probably wont be a female singer songwriter! All though if that rush to find the new Lily or Amy is responsible for letting the world know about Kate Nash and Adele then its gotta be a good thing i guess! Suits: I love wearing suits. Its a fact. But they have to look good and the key to that is a good cut. Problem is i dont have much money so here is my tip. Find a reasonabley good looking suit in a charity shop, buy it for a tenner then take it to be tailored at your local dry cleaners. Mine Does the job for around twenty quid so you end up with smashing looking suit for around thirty pounds. Marvelous. Live Shows: Tooooooo many bands these days worry about looking cool and having a persona when they play live. This noramlly leads to boring, boring, boring live shows. What bands and acts need to remember is that people have come out to be entertained and have fun. They haven’t paid to come and be impressed by how cool you are. Words: Dan le Sac & Scroobius Pip Photography: Bartolomy
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Simian Mobile Disco interview!
Simian Mobile Disco interview!
11/08/2008
Simian Mobile Disco are one of those acts people who aren’t even into the club and party vibe have heard of. Probably. You see, as well as fast becoming a globally renowned DJ duo – created off the back of the now defunct Simian, James Ford and Jas Shaw have had their fingers in many a musical pie; very scrumptious musical pies; several in fact!!! Ford’s sticky pinky has produced number one debut albums for the Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, and Last Shadow Puppets – a band he also plays the drums in. Anyway, now Ford and Shaw are going to be hitting Tijuana in Mexico, for Simian Mobile Disco’s Sol Session on November 1st. You know Sol, right? That tasty lager that falls into the unisex bracket – meaning that bulbous ladettes are transformed into mildly-attractive ladies when they drink it and guys just drink it anyway. We caught up with the thoroughly charming James Ford to discuss the new SMD album, Mexico, and the art of seduction… um, well, production actually. You’re going to be playing a Sol Session in Tijuana; exciting stuff! Have you played in Tijuana before? Well, we’ve played in Mexico before – a couple of times; just in Mexico City and Acapulco. And yeah, like, to varying degrees of success really. I mean the Mexico City gig was amazing, but the Acapulco gig was a total shambles. It was just, like, really crazy down there – their organisation and stuff. But yeah, Mexico’s amazing; I’m really looking forward to it – to getting back there… And now that Simian Mobile Disco are so globally renowned, it must be fantastic to go around the world to all these different places and see all these different cultures? Ah, it’s amazing. Like, especially as I did a lot of production with Justice – on his own… And you know, we did like Singapore and Malaysia, and there were armed guards sort of wandering around with him and all this; they gave him a police escort and cleared traffic and shit – it was really entertaining. So you’re working on the new album at the moment, how’s that coming along? Are you taking things in a different direction from your previous material? Well, a little bit slowly to be honest - because as I say, Jas has just had a kid; but we’ve got a load of stuff on the go; I’d say we’re about halfway there. I’d say it’s definitely a lot deeper and a bit more psychedelic than our other stuff. You know, I’ve been listening to a lot of krautrock and that kind of thing. We’re still trying to keep the new stuff dance-floor and stuff, but maybe it’s just a bit more… broadened out I suppose. And you guys will be working your magic on production again – or have you brought in someone else? No, no, we’re producing it ourselves and we’re producing the mix – because we’re both producers in our own right, you know? I don’t think we’d ever get another producer in. Sure, sure. And on the subject of producing, are you proud that some of the bands you’ve worked with – Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Last Shadow Puppets - have achieved such success? Yeah, yeah, it’s great you know – but obviously, you know - I can’t take all the credit. Obviously they’re really good bands and whatever, but I just feel kind of fortunate to have been given the chance to work with them really. Having played in a band as part of the original Simian, remixing music must be a completely different ball game altogether? Um, well it’s different in every sort of situation really. Generally, as much as possible, I try to mix with a proper desk and, um, you know – I’m a great believer that there’s a certain magic you get from all the little boxes and all the cables and that; I’m not really big on all the digital world and that … I think just being in a little room – a room you know - and laying down the music is important; it’s quite an involved process – the build-up. Usually you get a really rough balance to start with and then go through the process of compressing every element until you’re happy with it. Any plans in the pipeline for a Simian reunion or working with the other guys in some capacity again; maybe the Black Ghosts or something? Probably not to be fair… no. We sort of; well - I’ve sort of enjoyed making music more since the band has finished. I don’t kind of regret the band, I definitely learnt a lot and enjoyed it and stuff, but I don’t think I’d ever want to go back there really. I think everyone who was involved is the same to be honest; we’ve all sort of done better in our own right since the band finished. And what about your plans away from SMD; have you got any exciting shows or production work lined-up? The Sol Session obviously; and I’m going to be playing live with the whole Shadow Puppets thing – Alex Turner – in October. I’m really looking forward to that because I haven’t really done any sort of live – playing with an instrument kind of thing - for a while. That’ll be fun. And yeah, there’s the new Klaxons record, and the new SMD record - both out at the end of the year, so I’ll be keeping myself busy with that. For further information on the Simian Mobile Disco Sol Session and to win tickets, visit sol-beer.co.uk
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